Iran and US hit tankers in biggest wave of attacks on shipping since war began

By Enas Alashray, Idrees Ali and Jana Choukeir Reuters Iran said on Wednesday it had attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. sank five Iranian oil tankers, in the biggest wave of attacks on shipping by both sides since the start of the six-month-old war. The attacks sent the price of ‌oil surging, with benchmark Brent crude futures breaching $100 a barrel for the first time since July. At least one seafarer aboard a tanker was reported killed and another listed as missing. The ‌incidents follow a month of relative calm, during which the U.S. has sought to pressure Iran through economic means. Iran said it had fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. military base in Jordan. Jordan said it intercepted 18 missiles, with the remaining two ​falling harmlessly in unpopulated areas. A U.S. official said all American troops were accounted for. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said it would sharply escalate its response to any further attacks, and said I...

Death toll in flood-hit South African province rises to 49

The death toll from floods in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province has risen to 49, the head of the province said on Wednesday.

Parts of South Africa have been lashed by heavy rain and snow since the weekend, in a severe winter cold front that has disrupted transport and power networks.

“The status has escalated to 49 (deaths),” Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane told a press conference.

Flooding in Cape Town

Earlier, a school bus was swept away by floods near Mthatha and a provincial safety official said eight bodies were recovered.

Mabuyane said the report he had received said six people on the bus had been discovered dead and four were still missing. The vehicle had been carrying 13 schoolchildren and two adults.

Flooding has become more common and severe in South Africa as the impacts of climate change are felt.

A storm on the East Coast in April 2022 killed about 400 people and left thousands homeless.

SOURCE: REUTERS AND AGENCIES



from The Times Of Earth https://ift.tt/g0b4uBZ

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